I Dare You
by Zandrellia
Summary: An InuyashaBleach crossover fic. Kurosaki Ichigo finds himself lured to a pizza parlor where he meets a mysterious girl, Higurashi Kagome. Now it’s a battle of the wills as each tries their best to get rid of the other’s presence and go on with life.
1. Prelude

Disclaimer

I own neither Inuyasha nor Bleach or any of the characters involved from these works. It is not my intent to take credit for these stories or any individual parts from either. I will not accept any form of monetary gain from this fictional piece.

Preamble

I began this work purely on a whim of my own imagination. Hopefully I will not let down fans of either works. A great deal of research was put into this story and a lot of love brought on by friends who have initiated the emotions that I tried to portray here. It will be ultimately up to you, my dear readers, to inform me if I have been successful in my attempts.

Many factors of this story are substantially different from other fan-fictions simply due to the nature of causing two people to meet who, after a certain point in their lives become occupied with other matters. Obviously I could not have the Bleach and Inuyasha universes merge during the times and events which occur during the manga and anime, therefore I opted to hit the proverbial rewind button on my little what-if and take us all to the past before shinigami and hanyou ever met our two friends. Please understand that, because some of the information is simply not available I had to make up some portions. Kagome's birthdate is not officially announced in any of my research as well as the year in which Bleach actually takes place. Therefore I have chosen, after extensive inquiries as to the personalities of each western astrological sign, to make Kagome's birthday fall within the first week of September. (Hence why this story begins during the last week of August and does not continue much farther past her birthdate.) Also, the Bleach timeline is, as I said before, a very vague piece of information and therefore I chose to simply merge the two. (Ichigo's own birthdate is given but not the year.) Nothing shown in the manga or anime may present one to believe that the Bleach universe is vastly different from the Inuyasha one and so both storylines will merge within my story beginning somewhere around August 28, 1997.

This story is _not_ a romance. Please do not feel that this story in any way will lead up to anything more than it already shows, because that was never my intent. All this story is meant to convey is the idea of unlikely friendships. So, with that in mind please go forward and enjoy my tale of two people from very different worlds that are essentially the same.

Prelude

_And in today already walks tomorrow. – Samuel Taylor Coleridge_

Let us assume that two individuals were fated never to meet. These persons are of oppositions, both living different lives which are similar in their own rights but singular and completely polar from the other. Neither one knows that they are destined for great things in the not-so-distant future. Their parents will never know of the other and by some strange chance they will never cross paths despite living in a marginally close radius within the same region of the same country. Assuming this is a possibility that two people may be so inclined to never know of the other, allow me to introduce you to two such fated beings.

Kurosaki Ichigo, male age 15, Cancer; lives with his father and two younger sisters Yuzu and Karin in their home which also happens to be the family business, a medical clinic. He has latent paranormal abilities which allow him to see ghosts and it is due to this ability that he is a rather introverted individual, not really caring for the company of others but not denying their presence either.

Higurashi Kagome, female age 14, Virgo; lives with her mother, grandfather and one younger brother, Sota in their home which also happens to be the family business, a Shinto shrine. She has latent paranormal abilities which allow her to hold the powers of a miko, although she is not a priestess, and because of this she is very caring and generous to those around her, always seeking the company of others.

And so our tale begins when total opposites are thrown together, against the better judgment of fate, by the accidental mistake of a fifteen-year-old boy one balmy August evening.


	2. Chapter One: Mistakes

Chapter One

Mistakes

_Just because you make mistakes doesn't mean you are one. – Author Unknown_

"Ichigo?"

He turned to look at her, glancing up over the rim of his magazine and across the edge of the couch with a face that dripped with annoyance. They never did let him have any time to himself, people that was. "What is it Yuzu?" She fidgeted slightly, gripping the spoon in her tiny hands tightly until her knuckles whitened from the pressure. Obviously she was a little embarrassed to be asking this.

"I forgot to get the konnyaku for supper tonight." He watched her face contort into one of semi-confusion and partial concern. It wasn't usual for her to make such a forgetful error. Immediately he frowned, brow furrowing as he tossed the periodical to the side and leaned forward to place his hand against her forehead. Normal, no fever that was good; so she wasn't ill, then what…? It hit him suddenly and he sat back, looking around and noticing that only he and Yuzu were in the house. He reached up, scratching at his forehead as another thought came to him. A memory, something about Karin having a tournament of some kind, he couldn't quite remember the details now but he was sure that his father had said they wouldn't be home until late. Obviously Yuzu wanted to go somewhere. With a smile he stood and stretched lazily, arms reaching up above his head as his face turned away from her with a look of mock-anger.

"Yuzu, you should be more organized. Maybe you're getting silly in your old age?" The younger girl frowned at him and turned away to go towards the kitchen when he stopped her by speaking again. "Where do you want to go?" She turned and beamed at him, eyes twinkling with love for her older brother. "We can go anywhere you want as long as it's not too expensive, I don't have much I think." As an afterthought he reached into his rear pants pocket and pulled out his wallet, shifting through to assure he had any money at all. Giving a nod and placing it back in his pocket he looked up only to find Yuzu gone. His brow furrowed in confusion and he walked over to the kitchen doorway, looking in to see if she was in there.

"I'm ready!" Ichigo's eyes widened and he jumped before turning to look at the freshly changed little girl before him. She had run all the way to her room and back, quickly getting into something a little more suitable for an evening out while he had been spaced out on nothing in particular. Feeling a slight blush of embarrassment cross his face Ichigo decided not to mention it and gave a smile before walking to the entryway and slipping his shoes on. "Pizza, I want to go have pizza! My friends have been telling me about this new place that has a pizza parlor and an arcade together! They say it's really nice, can we go?" She pouted and her eyes got wide and glimmered with hope.

The boy gave a sigh and turned away from her, opening the door and walking out into the evening light. "If you don't hurry we won't make it in time for supper." Yuzu gave a small squeal of delight and quickly slipped her own shoes on before slamming the door closed behind her and running after Ichigo. "So what sort of pizza would you like?"

•••••••

"Come on, Kagome, we'll be late!" The short haired girl said as she waved to her friend and they joined up to walk down the street together.

"Late for what, do you think they'll run out of pizza? Are you sure that's all we're going for?" Kagome gave her friend a knowing look to which the girl had the audacity to turn away from with a smile and give a nod. "Oh come on Eri! You can't tell me that this isn't some lame excuse for a birthday party!" The raven haired girl said with a smile that widened at the surprised look on her friend's face. Eri quickly turned away from her, hair coming down to cover her face and jaw setting firmly in place. Kagome gave a sigh at her stubbornness and relaxed. "I guess this is why Ayumi didn't come to get me, huh?"

A few moments passed as the two girls walked along the sidewalk in silence before they both broke out into laughter. It was true; Ayumi would have spilled the beans long ago and given up the secret. Instead they had given the wavy haired girl the task of setting up the party preparations while Yuka worked on conning guests into arriving and Eri brought Kagome. They knew that she would suspect the celebration but that didn't mean they had to spoil the fun! When the laughter had died down they walked for a while, Kagome just enjoying the outdoors and Eri watching her with a small smile. Her friend truly was the most beautiful girl in the school, no matter how often she denied that, and it had been decided by her, Yuka and Ayumi that the prettiest should be paired with none other than Hojo. It was a perfect match! They were both kind, both good looking, both intelligent… it was a wonder they weren't already together! Of course, Ayumi had pointed out that perhaps Kagome didn't really want someone like that but Yuka had silenced that immediately with a scoff. "Kagome doesn't really know what she wants!" The girl had announced and all three had nodded in agreement to that. Now it was time to initiate their plans, Kagome would be 15 soon and it would be the perfect time to set the girl up with the best candidate for boyfriend.

During her musings they had come to arrive at the pizza parlor and Kagome stopped, looking over at Eri with a weird glance for her sudden silence. "This is the place, right?" Eri nodded and opened the door, ushering her friend through and then leading her between the crowds of people and arcade games. Kagome couldn't help but grumble a little at the pushiness of the event. The whole place was packed with people who were crammed together around the various games and tables that were littered about the building. It was loud and it was very bright here and she had to sigh as more than once Eri caused her to bump into somebody but dragged her away before she could apologize. Right as she thought this they climbed up some stairs and entered an area that was mostly tables for eating.

"There they are!" Eri called, forgetting that this was supposed to be a secret. The girl reached out and grasped Kagome's hand, pulling her along and in the sudden momentum of the instance the young girl felt half her torso ram into someone's backside.

"Eri!" Kagome couldn't take any more and jerked her hand back to turn towards the person she had run into. It was a boy around their age although he was rather tall and had very distinctive orange colored hair but he wasn't looking at her so all she could see was his back, sitting in the chair. She frowned and fidgeted before bowing politely. "Um, please forgive me and my friend. She's a little excited. I'm sorry for bumping into you like that."

He turned towards her, face in a deep scowl and dripping with liquid. Kagome had to fight not to laugh at his appearance and instead reached into her jacket pocket, pulling out a small handkerchief and handing it to him with an apologetic look. Silently he reached out and snatched it from her, taking the crisp white cloth and patting it about his face to wipe up the spilled drink. When he was remotely cleaned he stood, tossing the handkerchief back to Kagome and then turning to go down the stairs without another glance to her. "Ichigo, you should at least take her apology." He stopped and Kagome turned to notice that he had been sitting across from a young girl who was giving the boy a motherly look of disapproval. Kagome's eyes traveled from the girl to the table where their food was, a medium pizza sitting to one side and a half eaten slice on a plate which was splattered with the dark liquid of his drink. It continued from there, dripping down the sides of the paper plate, down the red hue of the table and flowing down to puddle onto the floor and there her eyes stopped, feeling true regret for her actions. Whoever he was he had been out with this girl and she had ruined the evening with a moment of stupidity.

She felt a tug on her right elbow and turned slightly to look at Eri who was standing there with a confused look on her face. "Come on, Kagome, the others are waiting." At that instance was when she heard his voice for the first time.

"Yuzu, don't talk about things as if you understand them. She's obviously got places to go, let her." He turned to glance at Kagome over his shoulder and she felt her heart lurch at the strength in his eyes. Nodding she bowed her head once more before turning away and going with Eri towards the table of her friends waiting with a large cake that said _Happy Birthday Kagome_ across it in green icing, surrounded by fake pink flowers. She smiled at them and the party commenced but she couldn't help glancing back over her shoulder every once in a while to the little girl sitting at the table waiting for the boy to return. His words had been rather clear, even if they weren't exact: Go away. I don't have time to take your apologies. It had hurt because she had really felt badly about the situation, especially after seeing the spilled drink all over him and the table. She smiled half-heartedly at her friends, laughing and nodding at their jokes and comments and opening each gift they gave her with careful consideration before it came time for the most dreaded occasion; the birthday song. She wasn't really sure why they insisted on doing this, it wasn't like they were kids anymore but in the end she had succumbed to their wishes and blown out the fifteen little candles.

Ayumi was the first to speak and Kagome looked up with a confused expression. "Kagome, aren't you going to cut the cake?" With a look of understanding the girl nodded and reached over to grasp the utensils, slicing through the cake swiftly and handing out the pieces to her friends. Then a thought hit her and she cut two more pieces, placing them on a plate and standing. "Where are you going, Kagome?" She smiled at her friend and just pointed towards the ladies room. After she had left Ayumi blinked and stared at the others. "Yes but, taking cake with you?" They all stopped in their eating and thought about it for a while before shrugging. Kagome had been acting a little odd lately, maybe she just wasn't well.

In truth, she wasn't well. She felt miserable for her actions earlier and had chosen to share some of her joy with those she had wronged. Walking up to the table she noticed that the little girl, Yuzu, was sitting alone and reading an article in a small home-maker magazine intently. Kagome looked around for a moment for the orange haired boy but was stopped when the girl spoke. "He's over there, playing that game he likes." The girl pointed towards the front right side of the building and sure enough there he was, pounding the buttons and leaning forward with a look of determination and joy on his face. Kagome's eyes darted away, turning back towards the girl and she smiled before placing the cake on the table before her.

"I wanted to apologize again for my mistake earlier. My friends threw me this little birthday party and so we've got far too much cake for us all to eat, would you and your…" She stopped, unsure what to say as she didn't know what relation the girl was to the boy. The young girl smiled at this and looked down at the cake with partial disapproval.

"Brother, Ichigo is my older brother." Yuzu said this without looking at Kagome, instead turning the paper plate around to get a better glance at the cake. She really didn't like the cake itself, it was rather plain and looked to be old but it was the thought that counted, right? "Thank you very much. I'm sure Ichigo will appreciate it." This was said with genuine sincerity as the young girl gave Kagome a smile. That smile lifted the pressure that had formed on Kagome's spirit and she returned it fully before giving a nod and walking away. It was nice to do things for people.

After returning to her friends and enjoying her own slice of cake they played some games, usually Kagome against Hojo as her girlfriends were insistent that they do everything together and time passed quickly. So quickly, in fact, that when it came time to go home and they passed the table where Ichigo and Yuzu had sat it was cleaned and empty, they had left earlier. Kagome shrugged it off with the consideration that they would probably never meet again.

•••••••

"Thank you for taking me out tonight, Ichigo!" Yuzu said with a smile before slipping her shoes off and running to her room. The boy just nodded and went to slipping his jacket off but stopped mid-motion to duck, leaning back too far and losing his balance as a leg flew above his head.

"Ichigo! Don't you know better than to leave without letting me know where you are going? You should have left a note!" His father cried out as he turned and threw himself down towards the boy, elbow out in a move to crush against the ribs. Ichigo frowned and rolled out of the way, jumping up and pointing a finger daringly against the man.

"What sort of talk is that? A healthy fifteen year old has to leave a note to tell you where he is going now?" He was interrupted from his speech by Karin coming up and looking down on the cake still within his other hand. She looked up at him questioningly but didn't say anything. Ichigo felt a small blush of embarrassment creep onto his face and he turned away with a grumble before fully removing his jacket and tossing it along with each shoe towards his father. "Some girl spilled my soda all over me and I guess she felt bad so she gave me some of this cake. I think it was her birthday or something."

At hearing this, his father rushed up, a sly grin on his face. "Ichigo met a girl!" The man turned towards a picture of his wife and let out a sigh. "Do you hear that, my love? Our son is turning into a man!" The orange haired youth frowned at this and punched his father in the shoulder. He ignored this and turned towards the boy once more. "What is her name, Ichigo?"

Ichigo's face crumpled into a frown and he stood there for a moment, eyes darting back and forth as he tried to remember everything that had happened that evening. He didn't know her name or he just couldn't remember it, he wasn't sure which, but in the end it wouldn't matter. By some stroke of luck he had glanced down towards the cake in his hands only to read the characters that were spread in the green icing across the two pieces which read _Kagome_. So that had been her name. "Kagome."

His father's eyes widened and he grew serious for a moment, looking down on the cake as well. "That is not really a good omen, Ichigo." The boy thought about it for a moment, trying to consider what his father was. It was probably true. The name Kagome derived from a children's game where one, if guessed correctly, would take the place of the demon who was guessing, probably not a very good image for a girl to represent. He shrugged and walked into the kitchen, setting the cake down onto the counter before going to his room. It didn't matter if she was unlucky or not, he wouldn't meet her again.

•••••••

Kagome reached up instinctively and ran her fingernails over her right ear, soothing the sudden itch that settled over it while she continued to read her history book. She ignored the sign of someone speaking of her in an un-favoring manner and focused on her homework before her mother's knock on the door interrupted her thoughts and she looked up with a smile. "Kagome, the bath is ready for you honey." Standing and giving a stretch the girl went about gathering her clothes for bed before walking through the hall to the bathroom and closing the door behind her. She stripped down and slid into the warm liquid, releasing a sigh of relief with a smile. It felt so good to relax! As she lay there her mind wandered to the day. Her girlfriends had irritated her to no end! To think that they kept insisting that she and Hojo would be the perfect couple! Were they insane? Sure, he was a nice enough guy, polite and reserved and considerate. Yes, he was even good looking but… was that all that there was to a boyfriend? Weren't men supposed to provide support and be strong for their women? She laughed a little and rubbed her face with her fingers, wondering at her own silliness. That was a rather outdated notion, maybe her friends were right? As she scrubbed her hair with shampoo her mind wandered to the other events of the day. It hadn't been a very good day for her. First of all the surprise party wasn't very surprising. Then she had to run into that boy, what was his name?

Water ran down her head as she poured a cup full over her hair, rinsing the shampoo out and she blinked before staring down at the water in thought. "Ichigo, she had said that his name was Ichigo. What an odd name for someone so rough!" She blushed and her hand came up to cover her mouth before she laughed at her own behavior. It didn't matter if she was saying rude things about him; it wasn't as if anyone was here to listen! Besides, they would probably never meet again.

•••••••

A gentle knock on the door brought his attention from the very same magazine he had been reading earlier. "Who is it?" He called, wondering just who was bothering him at this time of night. Glancing at the clock confirmed that it was already eight-thirty and both his sisters would be going to bed soon. Instead of a response the door opened and in stepped Yuzu, already dressed for bed and covered in a little cotton robe with her hair up in little pink rollers. She really did behave like a housewife, it was kind of amusing but he had to admit that whoever married her in the _very_ distant future would be lucky to have her. She walked over to him and smiled before placing the paper plate with the slices of cake on them and a fork before him. He looked at them and then up at her but she was already leaving, closing the door behind her. With a sigh he lifted the fork and jabbed a bite off of the cake, shoving it into his mouth with a sour look on his face. It wasn't so much that he didn't like cake or even that he didn't appreciate the thought but it had been a simple accident. He couldn't understand why anybody would get so worked up about something so stupid. Dutifully he ate the cake until it was gone and then set the plate aside before lying back to continue reading. Maybe Yuzu wouldn't bug him anymore.


	3. Chapter Two: Grief

Chapter Two

Grief

_When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight. – Kahlil Gibran_

"Kagome, on your way home from school today could you run a few errands for me?" She turned to her mother and nodded, taking the list of chores and a few bills from the woman before placing them neatly within her little purse that she carried during school. "I really need all of those items. Sota's class is having a presentation and I'm the host for the dinner beforehand so _please_ try to bring everything home tonight if you could?"

"Don't worry about it mama, I'll take care of it." Kagome said with a smile and her mother hugged her, giving her a kiss on the forehead before the girl turned to leave for school. It wasn't really unusual for her mother to ask her to run errands for her. Grandpa was starting to be too old to go out frequently and Kagome had grown into a responsible young woman. And therefore that afternoon after a rather average day at school Kagome wandered down the street, waving to her friends as they went the other direction, and went to the local fabric store, it was the closest and would be the easiest thing to carry around. Walking into the musty store a bell chimed and she looked up at the old grandma that ran the business with a smile. "Hello there! My mother sent me here for some items." Kagome fished through her pocket for the list as she walked up to the counter and began naming off what she needed.

•••••••

Ichigo glared at the boys that were now running from him and chased after, following with a growl of irritation. Why did they always insist on doing this? If they couldn't be polite why would they bother saying anything? His days were typically filled with this, chasing after some rude idiots, attempting to earn justice for the weak. It was something he just couldn't just drop after the loss of his mother. Today the victim happened to be the innocent Orihime, a young girl from his class whom he had known some time now. She was quiet and usually bubbly but after the nagging of the boys under his attack her usual happy exterior had faded causing Ichigo to feel protective. He wasn't really sure why, but he never questioned the feeling. Unfortunately all this thinking was causing him to slow and the boys were gaining distance. He stopped and turned a 180, looking around carefully to assess what he might be able to use. Reaching out to a nearby trashcan he lifted the lid and tested its weight in his hands before giving a smirk and thrusting it out towards the boys. It flew beautifully, like a large Frisbee going towards its target with good precision.

Just as the boys were running across the next street Ichigo's eyes widened as the trash can lid continued towards the boys who seemed to be pushing someone with rather full arms between them and screaming out as a squealing of rubber emitted from the area. His heart stopped for a few moments, watching without being able to stop the inevitable. Just as the boys he had been chasing released their newest victim from the vacuum they created and darted out of the way the wind picked up slightly and brought the lid away from the center, towards the windshield of a car. The driver apparently lost control and in the span of a few short seconds the front end of the sedan crashed into the body of the poor girl just as Ichigo recognized her shocked face between the piles of boxes she was carrying. "No!" Suddenly the world sped up.

Boxes flew into the air as the sick thud of a body against the front of the car mixed with the slow cry of the squealing tires. Small cakes flew out of the boxes and a few plastic bags with strips of brightly colored materials seemed to jump through the air before floating down onto the now crumpled body of the schoolgirl. He ran towards her, arriving next to her just as the driver of the now slightly battered car got out, eyes wide and shocked from the fact that they had just hit another person. "My, my breaks didn't react fast enough! I must need to get them checked! Is… is she okay!" The woman cried out, tears welling in her eyes and Ichigo felt a lump form in his throat as he knelt next to the girl. Her body was contorted rather painfully and a small pool of blood was forming near her left arm which also looked to be broken and swelling rather badly. Reaching down with shaking fingers he tested her pulse. It seemed all right but he wasn't that knowledgeable despite his father's practice. Standing he turned to the woman who was near hysterics.

"I think she's going to be okay. Do you have a cell phone?" The woman nodded hastily, reaching into her car to grasp her purse and fumbling through it before bringing out a small flip phone. She held it out to him and he took it with a nod, turning to glare at the boys who were now standing among the forming crowd. He punched the numbers carefully, making sure not to get them wrong as it was an important call and waited patiently for the other end to pick up. "It's Ichigo. There's been an accident. Could you get down here with an ambulance please? It's partially my fault." He paused and then sighed, closing his eyes. "Yes, I know her. Pretty bad – oh, okay, I'll be waiting here." Glancing around, he checked the street address before naming off the intersection. "Thanks." After hanging up he then proceeded to call the police, informing them of the accident so that the driver could be handled. The woman was now on the asphalt, sobbing loudly into her hands. He closed the phone and held it out to her. "Here you go. Don't feel bad about this, it wasn't your fault." Once more his eyes turned towards the boys but this time they were nowhere to be seen. He frowned and turned back towards Kagome who was still unconscious. As he moved towards her the familiar sirens of an ambulance came down the street, stopping in the middle of the intersection and Ichigo's father scrambled out of the vehicle, rushing over to Kagome's side.

He motioned for a pair of medics to come to his aid and they carefully lifted Kagome onto a backboard before placing her on a stretcher and securing her tightly to it. As the medics pushed her into the rear of the ambulance he turned towards his son with a rather frightful look. "Ichigo, gather her things and wait here until the police arrive. When this woman has been safely taken care of you are to come home with the girl's items and hopefully then we will have a long talk that won't involve unexpected results." The message was cryptic but the boy knew what his father was saying. Kagome was not in very good health right now and it could be possible that she might die. There just wasn't enough information on her condition to know for sure. Watching the ambulance drive off towards his home Ichigo let out a sigh and began picking up all the scattered belongings that were still any good.

•••••••

Kagome woke with a groan and looked over to see a rather scruffy but nice looking man wrapping her arm in gauze. "Ah so you're awake now, are you?" He said as his lips moved around a lollipop that was in his mouth. "I'm just about to put a cast on your arm now. You were in a rather bad accident but it looks like aside from some cuts and bruising and a couple broken bones you'll be all right with a little bed rest." She listened to his soothing voice and took in all the information in a slightly dazed state, unsure what she should say in the situation. "Don't worry about thanking me," He said as if he knew exactly what she was going to say. "It's partially Ichigo's fault that this happened anyway. I'll have a long discussion with him about what are good plans of attack and what are not. Innocent people should never be involved. We also called your mother but couldn't reach her directly so we left a message with your grandfather, she should be here soon."

She lay there silently and watched him complete his task, placing the plaster covered strips of gauze over her arm carefully with the deft hands of a practiced healer. Her mind considered over everything. She had been walking across the street to her last errand and then would have been going home, balancing boxes full of baked goods and bags of material, when a group of rowdy boys surrounded her, pulling her back slightly and sending her off balance from their motions. That was bad enough, lucky she hadn't fallen at that moment but instead as she went to go forward some more she saw the most peculiar thing. A trash can lid flying right for her face. She would never have the time to react as the car collided with her body. All she remembered after that was pain and darkness. She hoped her mother would be here soon.

Just as her eyes were closing in a painful way a familiar face entered the room with a concerned look and Kagome forced herself to smile. "Are you much better now? Is there anything you would like to eat? My father said that I should make you as comfortable as possible." It was the young girl from the restaurant. Kagome tried very hard to remember her name… Yuzu – that was it. She smiled reassuringly to the girl but it seemed that she was far too intuitive to buy the act and merely shook her head in disapproval. "I'll warm some broth for you for now and bring you some fresh tea. Father said you're probably not ready to eat solid foods yet as your throat is probably rather sore, if that's not the case let me know!" Yuzu said this with a smile as she reached over, fluffing the pillows behind Kagome and bringing the blankets closer around her with a gentle touch. Kagome felt a small blush cross her face out of embarrassment as the girl then walked off, leaving her there in her stupor.

"Don't let Yuzu get to you, she's always like that. It's kind of creepy but ever since… well, for a while now she's taken to being like a little housewife and taking care of everyone. It's just her nature. She doesn't mean to make you feel badly." Kagome turned to see another girl, a little older than the other who looked a great deal more like the old doctor than Yuzu and Ichigo did. The girl was sitting on a metal stool and dressed in what looked to be a soccer uniform, a baseball cap adorning her head. "I'm Karin." She said with a small smile and then glanced over towards the empty doorway before looking back at Kagome. "And you are Kagome… that girl that Ichigo met at the pizza parlor."

Kagome nodded. "Nice to meet you Karin, you must be Ichigo's other little sister then?" The girl made a sound of approval and stretched, nearly toppling off the stool before looking back at Kagome. She had a good firm gaze and it make Kagome feel a little more uncomfortable but she refused to look away for some reason. Really, she was too stubborn sometimes, even in the silliest of situations.

"Yeah, I'm the middle child." She hopped off the stool and turned towards Kagome again. "So… do you like Ichigo?" Kagome blinked in confusion and her brow furrowed at this thought. What was there to like? She barely knew him and the first time she had knocked his drink into his face and the second time he had inadvertently caused her to get hit by a car. Sure, why not? She liked him _loads_. Unfortunately she was far too nice and polite to admit this to his little sister, that would have just made her feel more terrible and so she merely smiled and gave a little nod. Karin reacted very unexpectedly, giving a little laugh and shaking her head in disbelief. "I see, well that's too bad then. You're a nice enough girl from what Yuzu has said and you're pretty. I probably wouldn't have minded if you and Ichigo became more familiar. Oh well, I've got things to do so I'll just be leaving you now, sorry!" She ran off at this without looking back at Kagome, as if dismissing her and the girl had to wonder at the curious things that the child had said. What did she mean? It wasn't as if Kagome had even really considered the possibility of getting to know Ichigo better. He was still just a vague figure in her world still, someone unformed and yet unknown. Did the girl see some sort of hidden potential there? Probably not from what she had said and Kagome had to wonder if there was something inadequate about her.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden arrival of her mother, whom Yuzu brought into the small room that Kagome occupied. She ran up to the girl with wide eyes and let out a sob. "Oh Kagome I'm so sorry!" Kagome smiled up at her mother and shook her head at her. "If only I had known that it was too much for you. You should have said something!" The woman began to cry then, tears streaming down her face as she sat on the now unoccupied stool and Kagome let out a little sigh.

"It isn't your fault Mama. I'm okay, really! Sure I got a little banged up but I'm a fighter! I can take it!" She grinned and gave a little frown when her mother didn't look up at her in better spirits. "I'm sorry that I lost all those things. I don't even know where my school bag is." As she said this, the front door burst open and in pounded Ichigo – face sour and mood quite bad. He had spent a good two hours with that woman in the intersection, explaining to the police what had happened. One of those hours was spent gathering items from the ground and collecting Kagome's belongings. After discovering the several cakes which were now melting under the afternoon sun he had fished out his wallet and gone to a little bakery, making a visual guess at how many would need to be replaced. That had only added another 35 minutes to his delay and so it was some time later that he arrived home, hands full of boxes and bags along with Kagome's school things and his own. So by the time he finally made it home he was exhausted and really not in the mood for polite conversation. He entered the room where Kagome was laying, not looking at her and moving to place her things in the nearby corner. Kagome's eyes widened at the bakery boxes but she said nothing, a small blush coming to her face once more. That was very polite of him to do that for her. Her mother drew her attention back to her.

"Kagome I really don't like your being so far from home. Maybe we should move you somewhere closer? I can't come out here all the time because of Sota, your grandfather and the shrine. There's no way I can drive all the way out here, especially with the cost of fuel. I believe one of our neighbors is a nurse, she might know where we can place you." The woman said as an afterthought, reaching into her purse to rummage for the nurse's number. Kagome looked around at the warm setting of the Kurosaki home/clinic and shook her head.

"I don't want to go anywhere."

The room went silent as everyone stopped moving and her mother's face melted into one of further concern and apprehension. "Honey, wouldn't you rather be closer to me?" She prompted, hoping her daughter would see things her way. Unfortunately the girl obtained some of the stubbornness from her grandfather's lineage and a slow glare formed on her face as she shook her head. It was obvious that her mind was made up.

"Kagome is more than welcome to stay here Mrs. Higurashi." It was Ichigo's father, walking in with a small dishcloth in his hands and drying them. His sleeves were pulled back and Kagome faintly smelled the scent of vegetables frying. Apparently he had been helping Yuzu with the cooking. Her mouth began to water at the thought of food and she fought not to groan. Ichigo was giving his father a look of complete disbelief on the other hand, he knew what was coming next. A scowl then replaced the disbelief and he let out a sigh, exiting the area to go to his own room. "I understand your concerns Mrs. Higurashi, about the money?" Kagome's mother blushed and looked away out of embarrassment. She had been concerned about that, it was true. While Kagome's condition was both shocking and terrible it could also be very costly. "Don't worry about it. Because the accident was partially my son's fault, _Ichigo_ will pay for the costs that we suffer from the care of Kagome. You will not have to pay anything to us; it is our privilege and our duty to see to it that she will be comfortable. Also, Ichigo will go to her school every day after his own classes to retrieve her homework and make sure that it is returned the following day so that she does not get behind while healing. It would be far too much to expect her to go anywhere during the six weeks it will take for her bones to heal and she still has some cuts which will take a good eight days more to completely close. The bruising will probably last more than three months, unfortunately as some of it is to the bone marrow itself and not the tissue but I believe she will be able to endure that. Kagome will be fine here."

Her mother stood there listening and then looked up at the man with a grateful expression, giving a nod and turning to Kagome to kiss her on the forehead. "I'll be going home now. Be sure to call me if anything comes up." She went to gather the things that Ichigo had brought and left, escorted to the door by Mr. Kurosaki. When he returned to check on her Kagome looked up at him with a smile and he gave her a wink as if to say he had already known what the problem was long before it had happened.

"Does Ichigo know he's going to be doing all this?" Kagome asked with curiosity. He laughed and shook his head.

"If he didn't he does now."

•••••••

Ichigo sat on his bed, staring down in his wallet at the meager amount of money he had left from his weekly allowance. This was going to be an extremely costly lesson. As he was thinking this the door to his room opened without a knock and he looked up, ready to berate whoever had invaded his personal space without permission but quickly became silent as he saw his father enter the room, closing the door behind him. The blood rushed from Ichigo's face and he swallowed hard, unsure if he had ever seen his father look so serious before in his life. "Ichigo… it's time we had a little talk."


End file.
